


There Was One Rule

by pandorabox82



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:40:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25592188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandorabox82/pseuds/pandorabox82
Summary: After the fallout from the Fisher King case, Penelope and Anderson find themselves licking their wounds together.
Relationships: Grant Anderson/Penelope Garcia
Kudos: 1





	There Was One Rule

Penelope felt a little better about how things had gone down with the Fisher King case after Hotch had told her that, even obliquely, that she had done a good job in bringing about a successful end to the whole thing. Even though Elle was still not out of danger, yet. Even though she was to blame for opening them up to being in danger in the first place. Derek had walked her back to her office before heading off to finish his report, but the moment she was alone, Penelope sank down into her chair and buried her face in her hands as she struggled to keep from crying. She was not about to let Gideon make her cry yet again.

A soft knocking came at her office door, and she was half-tempted to ignore it, since she didn't want to see anyone before she went home, but then she heard a quiet voice call out, "Garcia? Are you still there?"

Knowing that she couldn't not answer Anderson, she let out a deep sigh and got up from her chair, making her way over to the door and opening it to reveal his hand dog face. "You look like how I feel, Grant."

"Devastated?" She nodded. "I just feel like it's my fault that she was shot."

Penelope pulled him inside and kicked the door closed with her toe, letting out a quick squeak of surprise when he wrapped his arms around her waist and embraced her tightly. "Oh, Grant," she sighed out as she let him nuzzle in closer, stroking his back in slow sweeps as she felt him struggle to keep from crying. "Do you want to get out of here and get drunk? We're both free, and I was planning on getting shitfaced alone, anyway. Might as well have a friend along for the ride?"

He nodded into the crook of her neck, pulling away so that he could look into her eyes. "Are we going to head to a bar?"

"Oh, sugar, no. That would not be safe. We're going to stop at a liquor store and buy a few bottles of something fun, and then go to my apartment. You can either crash on my sofa or catch a cab home, but I'd feel safer with us at my place, rather than in a bar." Anderson gave her a small nod before stepping away from her and taking a deep breath, wiping beneath his eye with his knuckles. "Give me five minutes to get everything closed down here, and then we can head out. I'll give you directions to my place once we're in the parking lot."

"Thank you," he replied as he nodded, heading over to the door and then pausing to look back at her. "This has just been a really shitty few days."

"It has." Anderson gave her a tiny flash of a smile before he left her office, and Penelope turned to her system and began to shut everything down, knowing that it was extremely likely she'd be suspended for a few days, due to her fuckup. Letting out a deep sigh, she grabbed her purse and slung the strap over her shoulder as she left the room, turning the lights off before locking the door and heading down to the bullpen. On her way over to Anderson's desk, she nearly ran into Hotch, and she gave him a fleeting smile. "Headed home, too, Sir?"

"I wish. There's something that I need to take care of, now that Elle is out of danger, and Randall Garner has been neutralized. I'm glad that I caught you still here, though."

"I know, I'm suspended without pay for two weeks."

He reached out and curled his hand around her shoulder as he looked deeply into her eyes. "You made a mistake, Garcia. We all made them with this case, and things escalated far beyond our control. Do not take a larger measure of guilt that what you deserve, all right? If anyone is to blame for Elle being shot, it's Jason. He was the one who goaded Garner into acting out against our team. So, no, you will not be suspended without pay. I'll have to write you up, because you didn't take the appropriate safety measures before using your personal laptop on the down time that you have during the day. Nothing more than that."

"All right. Thank you." There were so many other words that needed to be said, but Penelope knew that if she tried to speak them, she'd end up crying in front of him again, and she didn't want that. "Enjoy the rest of your leave, Sir."

"I'll try, Garcia." He gave her a brief smile, and she returned it unthinkingly as he walked past her and out of the bullpen. Sighing, she went over to Anderson's desk and took a seat on the corner of it, her shoulders slumping a little.

"Are you suspended?"

She shook her head. "I thought that I would be, but Hotch said that we all made mistakes on this case, and we need to learn from them. So, I guess, you're probably not going to be facing a reprimand, either? Maybe just a write up like me?"

"From your lips to God's ears, Garcia." She nodded as they both stood up, and together they made their way out to the elevators. No one else was around at the moment, and she felt grateful for that, because while Hotch had tried to absolve her of her guilt, she still felt like she had failed everyone so much. Anderson seemed to sense her low mood, as he reached out and patted her shoulder before they stepped into the elevator. "So, what kind of alcohol are you going to buy?"

"I was thinking gin, whiskey, and vodka. I already have a few bottles of rum and wine in my apartment. Is there something in particular that you'd like me to pick up?"

"As long as it's not beer, I'll be fine. I don't know why people drink that when you can get drunker quicker on mixed drinks."

"I love the way you think, Grant," she said as they stepped out of the elevator and made their way out to the parking lot. "I'll make certain to pick up a few different flavored vodkas, since I think we can whip up a few cocktails to help us pregame before we just go for it."

They reached his car before hers, and she held out her hand expectantly. "What?"

"I'll need your phone to give you my address. Or a piece of paper and a pen."

"Oh, right." He scrambled around in his pocket, pulling out keys and phone in one clumsy move, and she swiftly caught the phone as it started to fall towards the ground. "You've got great reflexes."

"If you only knew," she teased as she tapped away at his phone, creating a profile for herself in his contact list. "All right, now you have all the pertinent details, and should be able to reach my apartment all by yourself. If you have any questions, though, give me a call. I'll probably be about twenty minutes behind you, though, since I don't know how long it will take me to pick up the alcohol."

"That's okay, I want to run home and change into something a little more comfortable first. It's never fun to get really drunk in a suit and tie, after all."

"True, I didn't think of that. I'll see you at my apartment soon, then." He nodded and she smiled a little before heading over to her car, climbing behind the wheel and quickly heading to her favorite liquor store. Since she knew that Anderson was going to be a little while before he got to her apartment, and so she took her time to really browse and find things that they would both like. By the time she was done shopping, she had picked out a dozen different bottles of alcohol, bringing them to the counter and trying not to blush at the look the clerk was giving her.

"Wild party tonight?" she asked as she rang up her order, and Penelope nodded. "Enjoy, then!"

"That's the plan!" Penelope gave the woman a bright smile as she slid her card through the machine and waited for the charge to go through. "I love your hair by the way. I'd love to go blue, but I work in an office, and this is about as wild as I'm allowed to get," she said as she gestured to her outfit.

"It's nice to have a laidback boss, yes." The clerk handed her the receipt before bagging up the bottles and sliding the bags across to her. "Enjoy your party!"

Penelope nodded as she gathered the bags up in her arms and made her way back out to her car, setting the bags in the passenger seat before getting behind the wheel and heading home. A little smirk spread across her lips when she saw that Anderson was just pulling up to her apartment as she turned into the reserved lot for her building. "Perfect timing," she whispered as she parked in her spot and then gathered up her things, hurrying over to the front of the building as quickly as she could, so that he wouldn't feel awkward at all. "You planned that well!"

"I try. Here, give me the bags, you have to get in the building."

Before she could protest, Anderson had taken the bags from her hands and she pouted a little at him, watching him shrug as they walked up to the stoop. It didn't take her long to get inside, and then they were heading up to her apartment. "You're the first person from work that I've had over, so you should feel honored."

"I do." Anderson gave her a small wink as they reached her door, and she laughed as she unlocked it and let them in. "Where do you want these bags?"

"In the kitchen," she replied off handedly as she turned the lights on and kicked off her shoes, hanging her purse on the hook before following him into the other room. "Once you set them down, please take your shoes off."

"Of course."

She nodded as she began to dig out her open bottles of alcohol, setting them out on the counter alongside the new bottles before grabbing out two glasses. "I hope you don't mind if we just keep using the same glasses to pour different drinks. I'm all for saving as much water as possible."

"That's fine. What are we going to start with?"

She took her first look at what he was wearing, and felt a slight blush rise up in her cheeks at the sweatpants that did little to hide anything. He just had to choose her one weakness in a guy, and she let out a slight cough as she gestured towards the bottles. "I'm going to start with wine, because that's what's calling to me tonight. You're free to choose whatever you'd like," she said as she pulled the cork out of the half full bottle of wine, quickly filling her glass before going into the living room and plopping down on the sofa, turning on the television and flipping through the channels until she found something that was a bit entertaining.

"Do you mind if we talk before we watch anything? I feel like if I don't get this out of my system before I get truly drunk, then it will come out all wrong later."

"Sure. So, what did Hotch say to you that upset you?"

Penelope settled back in a corner of the sofa, curling her legs beneath her as she looked at him, holding her glass close to her chest as she watched him take a few sips of his drink. "He was just so incredulous that I had left Elle alone at her home. I didn't realise how serious things were with the situation, since I hadn't been read into things. I knew that you were working on an important case, but obviously some things slipped through the cracks. And then, at the hospital, he didn't even have to say anything."

"He just fixed that look on you?" Anderson nodded. "He has the most expressive eyes, and he's going to be the perfect dad to Jack, since he can make you feel like you've disappointed him with just one look. I want to do better for him, you know?"

"I do. And I felt so badly for the fact that my actions led to Elle being shot. If I hadn't left her alone, if I had just stayed even for another thirty minutes…"

"Then you might have been shot as well, Grant. We have no way of knowing what Garner might have done to you, too. And besides, Hotch told me it was Gideon's fault, anyway, for antagonizing the man."

Anderson raised his eyebrows at her tone, and she shrugged a little as she took a long swing of her wine. "Why would Agent Hotchner think it was Agent Gideon's fault?"

"Because Gideon was the one who told JJ to give the press conference. We were told that there was only one rule to the sick little game that Garner was playing, and that was to inform no one what was going on. This was a quest that only the seven of us were supposed to be on, and then Gideon decided to test that, to anger Garner. And he called me stupid. He still can't look at me for glaring."

"He called you stupid?"

Penelope nodded as she finished off her wine, getting to her feet and going over to the kitchen, grabbing the bottle of lavender vodka and opening it before pouring a healthy measure into her glass. "I made the mistake of using my slightly less secure personal laptop on the WiFi in my office, and Garner was able to back hack his way through that into the mainframe and find out way too much about us. That, combined with the letters that Reid would write him mother, well, it was a perfect storm of awful. Hotch is right, all of us fucked up, and we all need to acknowledge our parts in this fiasco. Even if I am now reaching the angry part of my hurt over what Gideon said. If he hadn't said it in front of the team, it would have been all right, but he was just so vicious about it in front of them. I had thought they were my friends, but from the looks I received, I have to wonder. Even Derek, who I flirt with like it's typical banter, looked at me with disbelief. All my confidence, all my self-assurance, wiped out in a matter of seconds. I knew that I had fucked up, I didn't need to be called on it like that."

"I don't think that Gideon was ready to return, honestly," Anderson said as he got up, bringing the bottle of Beefeater gin that she had bought back with him, setting it on the coffee table before sitting back down on the sofa, a little closer to her this time. "The Bale situation affected him far more deeply than anyone wants to admit, and the only reason he was allowed to return was because Strauss was out on medical leave, so her fill in approved it."

"Wait, I thought she was on vacation?" she asked as she finished off the vodka and filled the glass with gin, sipping at it as she settled back once more.

"Oh, I probably shouldn't have told you that. I know that your team hates her, but there are things that you don't know that have influenced how she treated people. It helps to be friends with her assistant, as I learn the best gossip and behind the scenes news. I really can't tell you any more than what I accidentally did. Just, trust me when I say that she cares much more than she lets on."

Penelope nodded as she finished off her gin, starting to feel the affects of the alcohol on her system. "I suppose that I can be nicer to her, then. Since I trust you."

Those seemed to be the right words to say, as the man set his glass on the coffee table before prying hers from her hands and placing it next to his before leaning in and kissing her softly. "Or did I read the situation wrong?" he asked as he broke the kiss, and she shook her head before curling her hand around his neck and pulling him back down so that she could kiss him again. As they continued to make out, she felt his hand slip beneath her shirt and skitter up her torso until he was cupping a breast, his thumb brushing against her nipple, causing it to harden pleasantly as she arched up against him, bitterly regretting that she had worn a regular shirt to work that morning, since that meant she couldn't feel his lips against her heated skin until said shirt was off her body. Whimpering against his lips a little, she used her free hand to tug at the hem of her shirt, and he took the hint, pulling it up her body until they had to stop kissing so that he could tug it off, throwing it onto the floor before he began to devour her once more, his lips moving across her cheeks and down her jaw before continuing down her neck. Another strained whimper was drawn from her throat as he nipped at her collarbone, his hands slipping beneath the straps of her bra and pushing them off her shoulders.

"More," she groaned out as she freed her hands from the bra straps, feeling his hand fumble with the hook and eyes on the clasp before it came loose from her body. Once her torso was bare, Anderson lowered his head to her breasts, peppering them with kisses while his tongue drew patterns against her skin. When Penelope felt his hands on the waistband of her skirt, she lifted her hips so that he could unzip the garment and pull both skirt and panties down her legs before breaking away from her for a moment so that he could hurriedly tug his shirt off, adding it to the haphazard pile of clothes on the floor. Through passion heavy eyes, she looked up at him, feeling an overwhelming wave of lust sweep over her body as she licked her lips.

"Are you going to be comfortable finishing this on the sofa?" he panted out, and she shrugged. "I can control myself long enough to get us to the bedroom." A light sigh slipped from her lips as she sat up, allowing him to take hold of her hand before she practically dragged him into her bedroom.

"Did you bring condoms?" she asked as she stretched out at the bed, watching him step out of his sweatpants. Another stab of desire hit her core as she took in the sight of his erection, and again, she licked her lips in anticipation of what was to come. "Grant?"

"No, but I hadn't planned on things turning out quite this pleasantly." She smirked as she propped herself up on her elbows. "Do you have any?"

"In the drawer," she replied, watching him pull it open and take one out, opening it with a practiced ease before rolling it onto his erection. She didn't know why she found it so hot, but it was, and her legs parted easily for him as he joined her on the bed, fitting himself between her legs. "I'm raring to go if you are, Grant. Emotions, alcohol, and your kisses have me at the precipice already."

He nodded as he entered her. There was no hesitation in his thrusts, and she sighed as she wrapped her legs around his hips, guiding him in deeper. Penelope sighed and cooed with pleasure as they continued to fuck, and the little sounds just seeming to encourage him on. Her first orgasm hit her unexpectedly, and still, he kept going, driving her on through her climax, his slick chest moving against her oversensitive nipples in a way that drove her to complete distraction, her body soon ramping up to a second orgasm, and as she came this time, she arched her body up against his as her nails raked down his back, her cry of pleasure soon swallowed by his lips claiming hers in a bruising kiss as his orgasm hit. "Fuck."

"I know. That was nice," she panted as she stroked his hair, welcoming his weight on top of her body as he breathed heavily in her ear. "And I strangely feel a whole lot better. Do you?"

"Yeah. But I don't want to move."

"Who said anything about moving farther than into the bathroom to clean ourselves up and then back to bed?" She gave him a small wink as she wriggled out from underneath him and sat up, stretching a little as she purred in sated pleasure. "The quicker we clean up, the quicker we can come back to bed." Anderson nodded as they clambered off the bed and she led him into the bathroom, letting the water run to get warm as she fished a few clean washcloths out of the small closet.

"You know, you're the first one to call me by my name," he said as he took a damp washcloth from her hands and began to whisk it across his body.

"That sucks, we should all be addressed by our names at some point during the day. Even if I do usually end up being called Garcia by everyone. It's nice to hear someone say my name, especially in the heat of passion." She leaned in and gave his cheek a quick kiss as she finished cleaning the sweat off her body. "I'll be waiting for you in bed. It is seriously past time to cuddle, and cuddling is the best part of sexy times, let me tell you." He gave her a small nod before kissing her cheek as she brushed past him to head back into the bedroom, knowing that Anderson would be joining her momentarily, and she couldn't wait to see how the rest of the evening went.


End file.
